Silence of the Deceased

May 7, 2018

The Pitch: The debut album from Russian avant-garde extreme metal trio Lautreamont. "Titled Silence of the Deceased, the album’s seven tracks are a journey into the dark corners of human nature, death and regression." FFO: Otargos, Balance Interruption, Veilburner

What I Like: This album is making me realize that I haven't been covering as many non-English releases as I used to. In any case, I always prefer when bands write lyrics in their native language. As the band puts it themselves, “We wanted to represent the words the exact way we read and feel them.” Rough translations, like a crap movie dub job, can really take away from a performance. Fortunately, Silence of the Deceased doesn't lose an ounce of its venom to such nonsense.

Furthermore, there is something about Lautreamont's sound that is simple and yet strangely unique. Compositions largely consist of bouncy (sometimes almost djenty) tremolo, black metal atmosphere a la Deathspell Omega, and some seriously impressive drumming. Vladimir “Wrath” Fomenko often steals the show with a highly technical and organic performance that is the driving force behind the band's sound. Tracks like "Father (отец)" really showcase his versatility and seemingly effortless skill. When met with the deep, distorted Russian snarls of Alex “Dread” Zarotiadi and trademark distortion of Denis “Agony” Paschenko, the sense of dread really sets in.

Critiques: There's room for a little more differentiation between tracks. Silence of the Deceased isn't as uniform as many other albums I've heard in the genre, but it could still benefit from some increased variety.

The Verdict: For a debut release, Lautreamont have made a real believer out of me. In one fell swoop, the band have established themselves as strong performers, focused songwriters, and an undeniably ominous presence to behold.

Flight's Fav's: Father (отец), Evil (зло), The Hour (час)

- Review by FlightOfIcarus

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